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On initially meeting Rob Stacey, I felt more in the company of an ex St. Helens rugby player, rather than a successful St. Helens beauty salon owner. But, after our initial conversation it was clear that Bobby had both the aspiration and determination needed to become a professional body piercer and in Bobby's inimatable style, his route was fast, decisive and totally focused.
Bobby's biggest asset was his willingness to learn, ask questions and focus on the small details. He finished the course and, on his first day back already had clients lined up. Four weeks after finishing the course we caught up with Bobby at the absolutely stunning, Be Beautiful Hair Beauty and Piercing Salon in St Helens Merseyside.
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What did you do before body piercing? I sold property and motor vehicles, It was my wife's dream to open a salon so when the opportunity arose we took it!
When did you decide you wanted to be a piercer? What was it about piercing that attracted you? We get a lot of enquiries at the salon for piercing but I only decided recently to take the plunge! With the amount of enquiries we get at the salon for piercings it would be a missed opportunity not to offer this service!
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How did you hear about Pierce Artist? I searched the net but most courses where down south and sounded expensive and pretentious, but I spend a lot of time on Ebay and one day I just put body piercing in the search bar and Pierce Artist came up!
Why did you choose pierce Artist as your training provider? When i first saw the Pierce Artist ad on Ebay I was a bit sceptical but there was a link to their website and when I had a more thorough look at it I knew it was definitely the right course for me!
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What is the piercing scene like in your town? I'm not to sure yet, most of our enquiries are for Navel, Lip, Nose, Nipple and come from young ladies. We are now starting to advertise the fact that we do body piercing so the clientele and the types of piercing may change
Who are your most common customers - Age group, sex etc? I'd say, girls in there late teens to early twenties at the moment but had a lady in for a nose piercing that was in her late fifties and married to a priest so you never can tell.
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You chose the 4 day course why was this your choice? I chose the four day course after looking at Pierce Artist website and seeing that the four day course included everything i thought i would like to do at that time! although I now cant wait to do the advanced! I also booked an Observation Day which was excellent as it was basically me doing the piercings as if i was in my salon and it was busy so didn't have time to panic, just had to get on with it so at the end of the day you find you have gained a real confidence and really do feel like you have achieved something!
What was the most important thing you needed to leave with to call the training a success? When I booked the course I thought it would be like most other courses,( you just go along, try to listen without falling asleep then get your certificate go home and learn by trial and error) so I only expected to get a certificate! But what I actually left with was a real knowledge of not only body piercing but everything else that goes with it that you don't really think about like health & safety, sterilisation and just as important etiquette which i learned very quickly as my very first piercing was a lady having both nipples pierced and I had never given a thought to the fact that I had to kneel down in front of her and clean her nipples!
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Were your goals met by the course? I could not say my goals where met as after being there for a very short time i realised that my goals where totally inadequate! i learned ten times more than i had first hoped to learn and then some!
How did you find the structure of the course? Excellent, first day health & safety with Val, then the following days where, mornings, a bit of theory and practical exercises then afternoons doing piercings. then the observation day which I would advise everyone to do as it really does give you the confidence to go back to your salon and do your piercings in a safe professional manner! I left Pierce Artist at about five on the Saturday afternoon and went straight back to my salon and did a tragus a nipple and a navel. No probs! |
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How did you find the teaching techniques of Tracy Perkins? The very first thing Tracy said to me on my first day was "Get that chewing gum out of your mouth and do not let me see you chewing in this clinic again"!! That's when i realised this was going to be a REAL TRAINING COURSE!! Tracy is really one of the nicest people you will ever meet, but in her words " she is not there to be your friend she is there to teach you" and that's exactly what she does! she doesn't have any faffing about, you are there to stick needles through peoples bodies and she gives you the confidence and the skills not only to do it, but to do it well.
What was it like piercing for the first time? Terrifying! at first I wasn't bothered but once I had to kneel in front of double nipple lady and clean her nipples my bottle went! Tracy got me through it fine but then she said to me " Bobby have you noticed anything about your ladies colour"? as she said this the lady was about to faint but Tracy just guided her on to the bed with her feet raised and didn't even skip a beat. |
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How was it using the Pierce Artist Toolset? Easy, when you first get there you haven't got a clue what all the different tools are for but after the first day you realise its mostly common sense! the nose tool looks a bit medieval but its so easy to use!
What did you find the most difficult piercing? I was terrified to do a tongue, it was easy! same with Madonna and Labret! the only one that I found difficult was the Nose! the piercing bit is simple but I couldn't get my head around pushing the end of the stud back up the nose!! once I had done it once it was easy! |
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Was there enough opportunity to overcome any problem areas? Problem areas! what are they? The way Tracy teaches you, there are no problems! Everything is part of piercing and you deal with the situations as they arise.
When you returned home, did you feel that you have enough knowledge to begin piercing professionally? YES! I went straight back to my salon and did three piercings!
How do you see your future as a body piercer? At first i just wanted another string to our bow for my salon but now i think it could be a very lucrative endeavor!
Have you had any contact with the Pierce Artist team since leaving Manchester? Yes, we order our disposables and equipment from them and they still owe me a chinese meal which we will hopefully go for when I do the advanced course!
What did you think of the training in general? I can honestly say I loved every single second of it!
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Contact Robert Stacey @ Be Beautiful Hair Beauty & Piercing Salon
Address: 70/72 walmesley rd, ecclestone, st helens, merseyside, wa10 5jn,
Tel: 01744
610444
Email: bobradmikson@aol.com
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| Pierce Artist provide the UK's largest selection of professional body piercing courses. tim@pierceartist.co.uk |
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